There are a lot of different ways to create “content” on the web to attract endless leads, relationships and significantly more sales and business…

What are Pod Casts?

Learn From Eric’s Interview:  Catapult Yourself in Business and Lead Generation

Here’s an example of how to use Podcast. Eric Walker interviewed Barbara Silva about How Attraction Marketing Changed Everything for Her Business.

Listen to the Pod Cast here:-
How Attraction Marketing Changed Everything

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Buy American. I Am.

Omaha

THE financial world is a mess, both in the United States and abroad. Its problems, moreover, have been leaking into the general economy, and the leaks are now turning into a gusher. In the near term, unemployment will rise, business activity will falter and headlines will continue to be scary.

So … I’ve been buying American stocks. This is my personal account I’m talking about, in which I previously owned nothing but United States government bonds. (This description leaves aside my Berkshire Hathaway holdings, which are all committed to philanthropy.) If prices keep looking attractive, my non-Berkshire net worth will soon be 100 percent in United States equities.

Why?

A simple rule dictates my buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. And most certainly, fear is now widespread, gripping even seasoned investors. To be sure, investors are right to be wary of highly leveraged entities or businesses in weak competitive positions. But fears regarding the long-term prosperity of the nation’s many sound companies make no sense. These businesses will indeed suffer earnings hiccups, as they always have. But most major companies will be setting new profit records 5, 10 and 20 years from now.

Let me be clear on one point: I can’t predict the short-term movements of the stock market. I haven’t the faintest idea as to whether stocks will be higher or lower a month — or a year — from now. What is likely, however, is that the market will move higher, perhaps substantially so, well before either sentiment or the economy turns up. So if you wait for the robins, spring will be over.

A little history here: During the Depression, the Dow hit its low, 41, on July 8, 1932. Economic conditions, though, kept deteriorating until Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in March 1933. By that time, the market had already advanced 30 percent. Or think back to the early days of World War II, when things were going badly for the United States in Europe and the Pacific. The market hit bottom in April 1942, well before Allied fortunes turned. Again, in the early 1980s, the time to buy stocks was when inflation raged and the economy was in the tank. In short, bad news is an investor’s best friend. It lets you buy a slice of America’s future at a marked-down price.

Over the long term, the stock market news will be good. In the 20th century, the United States endured two world wars and other traumatic and expensive military conflicts; the Depression; a dozen or so recessions and financial panics; oil shocks; a flu epidemic; and the resignation of a disgraced president. Yet the Dow rose from 66 to 11,497.

You might think it would have been impossible for an investor to lose money during a century marked by such an extraordinary gain. But some investors did. The hapless ones bought stocks only when they felt comfort in doing so and then proceeded to sell when the headlines made them queasy.

Today people who hold cash equivalents feel comfortable. They shouldn’t. They have opted for a terrible long-term asset, one that pays virtually nothing and is certain to depreciate in value. Indeed, the policies that government will follow in its efforts to alleviate the current crisis will probably prove inflationary and therefore accelerate declines in the real value of cash accounts.

Equities will almost certainly outperform cash over the next decade, probably by a substantial degree. Those investors who cling now to cash are betting they can efficiently time their move away from it later. In waiting for the comfort of good news, they are ignoring Wayne Gretzky’s advice: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.”

I don’t like to opine on the stock market, and again I emphasize that I have no idea what the market will do in the short term. Nevertheless, I’ll follow the lead of a restaurant that opened in an empty bank building and then advertised: “Put your mouth where your money was.” Today my money and my mouth both say equities.

Warren E. Buffett is the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, a diversified holding company.

The economy is down for sure, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make lots of money from this crisis

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

NTU don sees protracted recession, U-shape recovery

Zero growth in 2009, upturn only in 2010, IR delays expected

By LYNETTE KHOO

(SINGAPORE) Singapore will probably suffer a protracted recession that will end with a U-shape recovery only in 2010, says a Nanyang Technological University (NTU) economist.

And this means the economy will probably miss the government’s 3 per cent GDP growth forecast this year and see zero growth next year.

‘Although we have made tremendous efforts to diversify our economy, particularly in services and manufacturing, the major markets US and Europe are not doing very well and this is making our recovery very difficult,’ said Associate Professor Tan Khee Giap, who heads the Central Banking Policies Research Unit and the Asean Economies Monitoring Unit at NTU.

The two integrated resorts (IRs) are unlikely to kick in before 2010, even though Marina Bay Sands is slated to open late next year, he noted. This also could add to the expected delay in any GDP rebound.

The eventual rebound will be markedly different from the quick recovery after Sars in 2003 and the commodity price slump in 1987, when major financial markets were not in trouble, Prof Tan said.

He was speaking at a panel discussion yesterday at NTU on the financial crisis and its implications for Singapore’s economy.

Lilian Ng, Visiting Professor of Finance at Nanyang Business School, said she is confident there will be no repeat of the Great Depression of the 1930s, as concerted efforts by governments and central banks worldwide have mitigated the turmoil and restored a degree of trust.

‘Markets are more integrated now than they were years ago,’ she said. ‘When the US crisis hit, all the governments of the major economies came together to act on the situation. Given the concerted action, I don’t see we will be in the same situation as 80 years ago.’

But Prof Tan said that with money markets in the US and Europe still in a flux despite central bank intervention and huge capital injections into banks, financial markets will likely remain on a rollercoaster ride until the end of this year.

This means continued weakness for Singapore’s financial markets, he said.

While job growth is likely to slow in some sectors, Prof Tan said the cushioning effect of some 20,000 new jobs from the IRs could prevent net job losses in the overall economy. The onus is on government to make sure locals fill vacancies first.

‘We must concentrate on getting the senior workers and housewives back to work as they will be hit very hard,’ Prof Tan said.

He also believes that fiscal policies, such as bringing forward construction projects postponed earlier because of supply constraints, may help stimulate job numbers. If the cushioning effect plays out well, there may not be a spike in unemployment, he reckons.

With the economic slump ahead, Prof Tan urged East Asian governments to continue to prime their economies with surpluses from sovereign wealth funds and foreign exchange reserves.

‘But there is no free lunch,’ he said. ‘If you want money from East Asia, East Asian governments and East Asian views should be incorporated in international agencies such as the IMF, Bank for International Settlements and the World Bank.’

TODAY, ZaoBao and Berita Harian published coverages on the World Federation Direct Selling Association’s World Congress event held in Singapore. Direct selling is a recession proof industry and will grow rapidly despite of turbulent economic conditions. Now is a better time than ever to start your own home-based business!

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

TODAY, 9 October, Business, Creating wealth amid turbulent times

Article quotes Andrea Jung on how direct selling has provided an alternative income and wealth creation opportunities amidst the global economic crisis. It further quotes Benjamin Tan on how there was a 30% increase of direct sellers in Singapore during the financial crisis in the 90s. Many turned to direct selling because of its low investment and low risk nature. The article further highlights Ms. Jung commitment to uphold the highest ethical standards in direct selling and women’s economic empowerment.

Creating wealth amid turbulent times

Lianhe Zaobao, 9 October, Finance, WFDSA return to Singapore after 20 years

WFDSA returned to Singapore after 20 years and attracted about 500 CEOs and senior management from different countries to discuss direct selling issues. This year’s WFDSA conference  also witnessed the handover of the chairman position. Previous chairman, Truman Hunt said during economic crisis, direct selling will provide an alternative source of income for people. The new WFDSA chairman, Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon Products  said health and beauty products makes up a major portion of the direct selling industry and during economic crisis, consumers will forgo these products the least making the direct selling industry more resilient to the impact of the economic crisis. Andrea Jung emphasized that in these three years, she aims to help raise the economic status of women and the business ethics of people involved in the industry.

WFDSA returned to Singapore after 20 years

Berita Harian, 9 October, Business, The direct selling industry rapidly growing (Summary Translation)

The direct selling industry which includes Multi Level Marketing schemes achieved $470 million last year through 575,000 sales people in the industry. On the global scale, sales achieved $166 billion from 62 million sales people – a 10% increase. 30 million of those sales people is from Asia with 25 million of them, women. Truman Hunt who stepped down as the Chairman of the WFDSA said the industry experienced a faster growth rate than conventional retail distribution. However Truman further said that one of the main challenges of the industry is gaining credibility and trust. WFDSA’s new Chairman, Andrea Jung said she is confident that in the midst of the global economic crisis, direct selling can play a role in supplementing income to all those who area affected by the crisis. Overall a straight forward coverage on the information delivered at the conference yesterday.

The direct selling industry rapidly growing

I have been taught to do cold calling for network marketing leads when I run of my warm leads. But with internet today, cold calling is really dead. You can attract tons of prospects to yourself. Check out my video below to find out why cold calling is dead in today’s world.

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

I want to share with you a video that clarifies a myth about achieving success in mlm network marketing Being 7 years in this industry, I KNOW that MLM network marketing success is not about doing your best…it’s about doing whatever it takes!

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

A financial storm of magnitude never seen before in our times is closing in fast.
With a total crash of the financial system eminent, I’m gathering my cash now to buy cheap assets when it happens.

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

This is a very interesting statistic.

2008 Top 10 Languages Used on the Internet

In 2008, English is the most used language on the internet with about 431 million users.
This is not surprising.

What is surprising is that Chinese is the second most used language with 276 million users. But look at the growth rate…it’s growing at 755%, more than 3 times the growth rate of English users.

It is also known that, since February 2008, China has exceed US as the country with the most number of internet users, more than 250 million users!

This is huge market and it will be where the money is for the next 20 years.
Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

A friend on Twitter sent me this motivating YouTube video about Famous Failures.
You really cannot achieve Success without going through Failures!
Hope you like it…
I love it !

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

For those who are lost on where to start with Social Media Marketing, here’s a GREAT article by Shana Albert, which provides a big picture overview of Social Media.

Committed to Your Freedom,
Willy Lim

The Financially Free Advisor
Bridging InterNET to Network Marketing in Asia

How To Get Started In Social Media | Shana Albert

4 Steps to a Successful Start in Social Media

The difference between the web of a few years ago and the web today is Social Media.

Social Media is basically communication online. That doesn’t sound too complicated, huh? But for many beginners it can be. There are many different forms of Social Media…. many different ways of communicating online.

Getting involved in Social Media can be intimidating. So much so that you might not know where to even begin. There is Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Plurk, Mixx, Digg. There are blogs, forums, wikis, photo sharing, vlogging (video blogging), and others. They are all different, so which do you devote your time to?

In this post I’m going to get back to the very beginning….I’m going to explain the very basics of how to get Started with Social Media.

1) Figure out what you want to get out of Social Media

Ask yourself the question, “What do I want to get out of Social Media?”. The answer to this question should direct you to the type of Social Media activities you should participate in…. What activities you will benefit the most from. If you are looking to network online with people who share your passion for swimming then joining Digg is probably not the most productive way to go about that.

Below I made a quick chart of common Social Media activities and what needs they meet. Please keep in mind that this chart just gives you a small piece of a much bigger picture. There are many more social media activities and tons more Social Networking sites;

Again, the above chart is simply a tiny piece of social media activities and what you can do there. There is so much more, as a matter of fact, many of the above Social Media activities and Social Networking sites can be used for either business or personal. It is all in how you use it….. in who you network with.

2) Create your Profiles

Once you have determined what Social Sites you want to be a member of it is time to create your Profile.

This task should not be taken lightly. It is extremely important to get the profile perfect because this is the first impression other members of the community will get of you. And, we all know the saying, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”.

I know very cliche, but also very true. Your profile is how community members will begin to get to know you. What you have in your profile will tell other community members a bit about you…. will help members determine if that want to check you out further.

What is it you want other members of the community to know about you?

• Avatar - Do NOT use the default avatar. These get ignored. Not only do the default avatars get ignored, but community members feel these members aren’t very serious about the community.
• Profile Name - This is the name you want the community to know you by. Make this name memorable. If you are networking for business purposes think of using your Company Name…. great for branding purposes.
• Profile Details - Take a few extra minutes to come up with a great description of yourself and/or your business. It shouldn’t be too long… just long enough to tell the important things about you and/or your business. If it is too long members might not take too much time to read the entire thing. So, keep it short, but detailed.
• Website Links - If you have websites that you would like to let others know about and you are able to add links to your profiles….then do it. Active members of Social Networking Communities will most likely be checking your profile out. If you have links in your profile you have a pretty good chance of members clicking on them to check out your sites.

3) Learn the Community

Learn the Ins & Outs of being an active and genuine member of that particular community.

I know…. boring & unnecessary, right?! Wrong!!

• One of the things that can get you started on the wrong foot with any community is doing something that is against the Terms of Service (TOS). For example, my favorite Social Site is StumbleUpon. But, you can get kicked off of StumbleUpon for many things. One of which is constantly stumbling your own website or stumble exchanges. So, that would be a huge mistake that many would make if they joined StumbleUpon and started participating without reading StumbleUpon’s TOS.
• Also, check to see if the community has a FAQ page for Newbies. This would be a lot easier to understand than reading the Official TOS page. Plus, the Newbie page probably lists plenty of tips and community suggestions that can make your transition from Newbie to Community Pro much easier.
• Another idea is to keep an eye on the popular, most active members. What are they doing, what are they voting on, what are they submitting & what are they commenting on? Keeping an eye on these facts can help you determine what might work and what might not work.
• I know these things might be time consuming, but in the long run it can make the difference of “making it” or getting lost within the community….. instead of blending in do what you can to stand out. Taking the time to study and learn from the community can give you the information you need to learn what it will take to stand out from the rest.

4) Become an Active Part of that Community. Enjoy it.

This is the fun part. This is where you put all that you learned above into good use. Social Media can be a lot of fun and very rewarding & powerful in so many ways. But, the thing is you will need to use this power for good and not evil. I have created the following image to show you what I envision this aura around your Online Community Profile to be:

Bottom line to be a success in an Online Social Community, just like in any Community, be real, be genuine and “do unto others as you would want done unto you” and you will be success. Treat others with respect and you can’t screw up too badly.

To participate in Social Media can be work and take up a lot of your time. But, as with any community as long as you are participating in a community in an honest and genuine way you will get back as much as you give and probably come away with so much more.